THE boss of cable company ntl's North-East operation is to leave his job to take up a role with the firm in the Midlands.

Vas Agridhiotis, 37, hopes to repeat his North-East success when he becomes managing director of a newlyformed ntl region that includes Nottingham, Lincoln, Cambridge, Oxford and Coventry.

He will also have responsibility for ntl's central sales and marketing teams.

Mr Agridhiotis, a former pupil of Middlesbrough's Acklam Grange School, worked his way up from sales representative to become North-East managing director of the cable firm.

In the eight years he has been with ntl, the company has grown across Teesside, with six out of ten homes capable of taking cable now with the company.

He said: "Obviously, I am sad to be moving on, but I have no intention of selling my home in the area, so I will be coming back and forth.

"However, I am excited to be taking on a new challenge in the south."

Mr Agridhiotis will still oversee the award-winning Boro TV channel covering the fortunes of Middlesbrough FC.

His predecessor in the North-East, Peter Wilcock, who is based in Yarm, is to lead a new division focusing on the customers, taking in call centres and network maintenance.

Ntl has about three million customers and employs about 600 people at its regional headquarters in Stockton.